Neurophysiological monitoring in neonatal abstinence syndrome from cocaine

Introduction. Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in a newborn is a result of the sudden discontinuation of exposure to psychotropic drugs abused by the mother during pregnancy. Since forty decades, the standardized Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring Tool (FNAST) documents the infant withdrawal, and initiate the appropriate treatment regimen, when elevated scored are reported. Whereas FNAST is successfully applied for opioids NAS, in case of other psychotropic drugs and especially cocaine, the tool is not always efficacious or predictive. Methods. Continuous v-Electroencephalography (vEEG) provides particularly useful information about brain cortical functioning and evaluation of background activity in normal newborns. vEEG allows to properly study and identify clinical manifestations as physiological motor paroxysms, that disappear from birth to infant age in correlation with the neurological development. Due to its feature to be a non-invasive tool continuous vEEG monitoring could be used to describe some clinical manifestations and assess if they can be correlated to possible injuries in critical neonates as those exposed in utero to psychoactive drugs presenting NAS. Results. An example for the potential use of such methodology is discussed in a case of NAS due to prenatal exposure to cocaine as a complementary tool for the evaluation of behavioural state and clinical and neurological signs in newborns in utero exposed to psychoactive drugs, excluding epileptic phenomena. Discussion. Video-EEG recording could be considered an important and objective tool that allows the evaluation of behavioural state and clinical and neurological signs in newborns in utero exposed to psychoactive drugs and the neurophysiological definition of signs and symptoms, which cannot be evaluated by FNAST such as startles and its variability during subsequent days after birth, subclinical seizures or brain injuries

Hopkins’ syndrome

Hopkins’ syndrome is a rare disease that affects the anterior horn of the spinal cord after an acute episode of asthma in children with atopic disease. A viral infection or immunological suppression in atopic subjects might be the cause of occurrence of this syndrome, although the mechanism due to the etiopathogenesis of the disease still remains unknown.In general, this disease is manifested by a few days to a few weeks after an acute asthma attack, with flaccid paralysis of one or more limbs and in some cases residual muscle atrophy. The response to corticosteroid therapy is good and rare the possibility of recurrence

FATORES INTERVENIENTES NO ACOLHIMENTO À PESSOA COM SUSPEITA DE DOENÇA CEREBROVASCULAR

Objetivo: identificar fatores intervenientes no acolhimento à pessoa com suspeita de doença cerebrovascular. Método: pesquisa qualitativa com 16 enfermeiros atuantes no acolhimento de um hospital referência para doença cerebrovascular do estado da Bahia, Brasil. Para coleta de dados realizou-se Grupo Focal; para análise, o Planejamento Estratégico Situacional de Matus. Resultados: o acesso às tecnologias e a implantação do protocolo de classificação de risco foram fatores positivamente intervenientes no acolhimento. Contudo, déficits na infraestrutura hospitalar, inexistência de equipe de apoio na porta de entrada, ausência de capacitação profissional, desinformação dos acompanhantes e fragilidades na Rede de Atenção à Saúde comprometeram o acolhimento. Conclusão: os fatores intervenientes no acolhimento à pessoa com suspeita de doença cerebrovascular exigiam uma gestão estratégica com base no Planejamento Estratégico Situacional capaz de intervir na otimização da administração dos recursos disponíveis, tanto para investir e valorizar os pontos fortes quanto para priorizar a resolução dos pontos considerados comprometedores e agravantes.Descritores: Acidente Vascular Cerebral. Acolhimento. Planejamento Estratégico. Serviço Hospitalar de Enfermagem

Hopkins’ syndrome

Hopkins’ syndrome is a rare disease that affects the anterior horn of the spinal cord after an acute episode of asthma in children with atopic disease. A viral infection or immunological suppression in atopic subjects might be the cause of occurrence of this syndrome, although the mechanism due to the etiopathogenesis of the disease still remains unknown.In general, this disease is manifested by a few days to a few weeks after an acute asthma attack, with flaccid paralysis of one or more limbs and in some cases residual muscle atrophy. The response to corticosteroid therapy is good and rare the possibility of recurrence

Características ornamentais de plantas do Bioma Pampa

O resultado da herança genética confere às plantas características específicas, que se revelam em elementos como forma, cor ou textura. Em alguns casos, esse conjunto de características expõe atributos estéticos que conferem qualidades ornamentais. O Bioma Pampa apresenta uma grande diversidade de espécies nativas, com características que sinalizam potencial para uso no paisagismo. A inserção dessas plantas em cultivos comerciais e sua posterior utilização são formas efetivas de colaborar com a conservação ex situ, divulgação e valorização da flora nativa. Com base nesse cenário, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo identificar espécies nativas do Bioma Pampa, na região Sul do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, que apresentem elementos estéticos apropriados para o paisagismo, além de organizar as informações sobre suas características ornamentais.  Foram descritos a forma, o hábito de crescimento, a textura, o aroma e a cor das estruturas de maior valor ornamental, e indicadas as possibilidades de uso. As espécies descritas foram Campomanesia aurea, Colletia paradoxa, Daphnopsis racemosa, Eriocaulon magnificum, Maytenus muelleri, Schinus lentiscifolius, Scoparia ericacea, Senecio bonariensis e Solanum granulosoleprosum

Propriedades físico-químicas e enzimática de grãos de feijão secos em diferentes temperaturas e armazenados por 225 dias

Beans are an important food in the world and are present on the tables of Brazilians almost daily. The harvest of these grains occurs seasonally during the year, and hence, steps after harvesting are essential to maintain product demand. However, the drying and storage conditions may alter the characteristics of the beans, reducing their economic value and their acceptability to consumers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of storage time on the chemical, technological and enzymatic parameters of black beans dried at three temperatures (30, 45 and 60 °C) and stored for 225 days in conventional woven polypropylene bags. The results show that the increase in storage time leads to a lower protein solubility, and a decreased content of tannins, lipids and proteins; and an increased cooking time, fat acidity, and the enzymatic activity of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase. These parameters are important in the quality control of beans for consumption and as a raw material for the food industry. The quantity of broken grains and the grain roughness index are only influenced by the drying temperature regardless of the storage time of 225 days.O feijão é um alimento importante em todo o mundo, estando presente quase que diariamente na mesa dos brasileiros. A colheita desses grãos ocorre sazonalmente durante o ano, e por isso, as etapas de pós-colheita são imprescindíveis para manter a demanda do produto, no entanto, as condições de secagem e armazenamento podem alteram suas características, reduzindo o valor econômico e a aceitabilidade dos consumidores. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar os efeitos do tempo de armazenamento sobre parâmetros químicos, tecnológicos e enzimáticos de avaliação da qualidade de grãos de feijão preto secos em três temperaturas (30, 45 e 60°C), e armazenados por 225 dias em um sistema convencional de sacos de polipropileno trançado. Os resultados mostram que o aumento do tempo de armazenamento provoca redução da solubilidade proteica, dos níveis de taninos, do conteúdo de lipídios e de proteínas, com o aumento do tempo de cocção, da acidez lipídica e da atividade enzimática da peroxidase e polifenoloxidase à 30, 45 e 60°C. Esses parâmetros são importantes para o controle de qualidade dos grãos para o consumo e como matéria-prima para a indústria de alimentos. A quantidade de grãos quebrados e o índice de rugosidade dos grãos são alterados apenas pela temperatura de secagem, independentemente do tempo de armazenamento de 225 dias

Palmitoylethanolamide reduces neuropsychiatric behaviors by restoring cortical electrophysiological activity in a mouse model of mild traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a major public health problem, which is associated with neurological dysfunction. In severe or moderate cases of TBI, in addition to its high mortality rate, subjects may encounter diverse behavioral dysfunctions. Previous reports suggest that an association between TBI and chronic pain syndromes tends to be more common in patients with mild forms of brain injury. Despite causing minimal brain damage, mild TBI (mTBI) often leads to persistent psychologically debilitating symptoms, which can include anxiety, various forms of memory and learning deficits, and depression. At present, no effective treatment options are available for these symptoms, and little is known about the complex cellular activity affecting neuronal activity that occurs in response to TBI during its late phase. Here, we used a mouse model to investigate the effect of Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) on both the sensorial and neuropsychiatric dysfunctions associated with mTBI through behavioral, electrophysiological, and biomolecular approaches. Fourteen-day mTBI mice developed anxious, aggressive, and reckless behavior, whilst depressive-like behavior and impaired social interactions were observed from the 60th day onward. Altered behavior was associated with changes in interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) expression levels and neuronal firing activity in the medial prefrontal cortex. Compared with vehicle, PEA restored the behavioral phenotype and partially normalized the biochemical and functional changes occurring at the supraspinal level. In conclusion, our findings reveal some of the supraspinal modifications responsible for the behavioral alterations associated with mTBI and suggest PEA as a pharmacological tool to ameliorate neurological dysfunction induced by the trauma